25 October 2001, 09:43pm IST
Sudhamahi Regunathan.
On the one hand wars are being waged. many people’s lives have gone awry. they are not able to feel the commonality of autumn. to them this autumn has spelt death, not a mellowing. many others seem to have lost reason. reason itself seems to be groping for definition. on the other hand, the past 10 days have seen the celebration of one of india’s major festivals. the mind presents a kaleidoscope of images — ram lila, puja pandals, navaratri visits and vijayadasami celebrations. festivities are being organised and rama’s victory is being awaited. what is its relevance? do stories of rama’s victory and mahishasuramardini’s victory make any sense in this world that seems to be on the verge of destruction? then we wonder what our life is all about, sandwiched, as it were, between frightening reality and outdated mythology. to me, there came a sense of hope and resurgence with the thought of dussehra. ritual celebrations and mythological stories serve as entertainment. however, the message sought to be conveyed through them is far more intense. the kalika purana that is ascribed to assam describes this period in the worship of kali as one where many animals were sacrificed. alongside, there was a no-holds-barred licentious revelry. it was an idea similar to that of the festival of holi, a cleansing, a turning inside out, which brings into the open the suppressed emotions of the community. the kalika purana was an attempt to bring tribal customs and the shakti cult into the fold and incorporate their ways into the mainstream. the bottom line is that all the dirt is washed away, a new beginning is made. chaos is replaced by order and responsibility at every level. the legend of mahishasuramardini forms the basis for all kali puja. there was once a wicked demon called mahishasura. nobody could vanquish him, even the gods failed. then they looked towards goddess durga and lent her their prowess in addition to her own, to succeed in her task. the legend says that when goddess mahishasuramardini was trying to vanquish the demon, each time a drop of blood spilt to the ground, a thousand new demons would be created. so the challenge the goddess faced was to kill without shedding blood. does it go to warn that each drop of blood shed is only going to thirst for more, like the multiplier effect? the solution is not to shed blood. the story of rama’s victory and ravana’s defeat in the ramayana also carries a moral message. it is worth recollecting a telling passage where sita warns ravana that posterity would jeer at him as a man who had lost his senses, ‘‘when the king lacks discipline, the kingdoms come to ruin. for the fault of a single man like you, this city of grandeur will perish’’. ravana did not heed her. the day of battle arrived and he suddenly found he was getting fatigued. his charioteer tried to drive him away from the scene of war. ravana chided him. ‘‘do you think me to be so weak as to run away from war?’’ he asked. he was such a hero that he died on the day of dashami. glorious, handsome, radiant and courageous. but of what avail were these qualities when there was no goodness of character? in rama’s victory is the victory of good. nothing survives against good. navaratri has also been looked at as the adjustment of the lunar calendar to the solar one. that is why, in south india dolls are symbolically arranged in kolus, and on the tenth day are put to sleep. the next day marks the beginning of activity all over again, and that is why vijayadasami is also the day of learning. right knowledge can erase suffering, and that is how every beginning should be made. on these nine days, different aspects of devi are worshipped. an interesting story is told about the beginning of creation. vishnu is said to have assumed the form of a child and as he lay on a fig leaf he wondered who he was, what he had to do now. a voice said, ‘‘sarvam khalvidamevaham, nanyadasti sanatanam’’ or “all that is, i am. there is nothing eternal but me”. meditating upon this, lord vishnu saw devi. she was attended upon by powers like buddhi or intelligence, mati or intellect, kirti or reputation, dhrti or capacity to understand, smrti or memory, sraddha or dedication, medha or intellect, rati or sensuousness, bhuti or riches, daya or compassion, gati or momentum, tusti or happiness, pust or growth and ksama or patience. these are the qualities that one worships these nine days. today is the day of affirmation. a day of re-energising these qualities and testifying to the victory of good over evil. such dedication can defeat the most dangerous of enemies.
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